Tube cleaner and combination thereof with boilers



May 13, 1924. 1,493,997 F. W. LINAKER ET AL TUBE CLEANER AND COMBINATION THEREOF WITH BOILERS Filed July 27, 1920 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 J/ INVENTORS': WITNESS: F W %i/m,zw% M 2/2. "/QW May 13 1924.

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INVENTORS Attorneys, @WQwfi w May 13 ,1924. 1,493.99?

F. W. LINAKER ET AL.

TUBE CLEANER AND COMBINATION 'IHEREOF WITH BOILERS 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 27. 1920 #QOOOOOOOO O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O 0 INVENTORS: fix? By Attorneys, aka/am, OM11 d Wm May 13, 1924. 1,493,997

F. W. LINAKER ET AL TUBE CLEANER AND COMBINATION THEREOF WITH BOILERS Filed July 27, 1920 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Fig? 4.

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INVENTORS Patented May 13, 1924.

FREDERICK W'. LINAKER AND THEODORE M. BRUBACK, OF DUBOIS, PENNSYLVANIA.

PATENT OFFICE.

TUBE CLEANER AND COMBINATION THEREOF WITH BOILERS.

Application filed July 27, 1920. Serial No. 399,444.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that we, Fnnnnnrox W. LIN- AKER and THEODORE M. BRUBACK, the former a subject of the King of Great Britain and the latter a citizen of the United States of America, both residing in Dubois, in the county of Clearfield and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tube Cleaners and Combinations Thereof with Boilers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to tube cleaners especially applicable to boilers of the horizontal water tube: type. and to combinations of cleaner elements with such boilers, and aims to provide improvements therein.

The present invention provides a cleaning device, and a combination of a cleaning device and a boiler, whereby the con struction of the parts is much simplified; whereby the cleaning may 'be more effectively accomplished than heretofore, and whereby the cleaning may be done with a lesser number of cleaning elements for a given size boiler than heretofore.

The invention provides a combination of tubes and a cleaner element passing trans versely therethrough or alongside of the tubes, and bafiies, so arranged as to prevent an excessive flow of gases through the space provided for the said element.

The invention further provides a novel combination and arrangement of parts wherein the purposes of the invention are advantageously carried out, as hereinafter more fully set forth, and as defined in the annexed claims.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In said drawings,-

Figure l is a longitudinal sectional view,

of said embodiment;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line II-II, Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line III-III, Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a detail view of the of one of the telescopic elements.

Figs. 5 and 6 are detail views illustrating the relation of the side cleaner elements to the side walls of the boiler setting and the bank of tubes. i

Fig. 7 is a top plan view of a section of pipe showing the bafliing which maybe advantageouslynsed in conjunction wlth'the cleaner element.

mounting Insaid drawings, numeral 1 designates a horizontal water tube boiler, which is characteristic of the type, and comprises a bank of inclined tubes 2 communicating at their ends with headers 3, 4, the headers communicating with shells 5, 6, at the top of the boiler. 9, 10, designates the side walls of the boiler 1. 12 designates the fire bridge, and 14, 15, designate refractory partitions dividing the interior of the boiler into a plurality of passes 17, 18, 19.

Numerals 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, designate cleaner elements which may be arranged at the sides or in the midst, or at the sides and in the midst, of the bank of tubes 2, in accordance with the cleaning requirements and dimensions of the boiler.

Said cleaner elements are in the shape of tubes or pipes which are vertically inclined, and which are at right angles to the tubes in the bank of tubes 2. Said cleaner elements are preferably rotatably mounted, being preferably mounted in bearings 30, 31, upon the topof the furnace, the said tubes projecting beyond said bearings to the exteriol, and being provided with suitable cleaning fluid at right angles to the cleaner element. The cleaner elements which are located in the cooler parts of the interior of the boiler, as, for example, the tubes 24 to 27, in-

elusive, within the passes 18 and 19, have their inner ends preferably permanently located within the interior of the boiler.

The cleaner tubes 21 to 23, inclusive, however, which are located in the hotter parts of the interior of the boiler, as, for example, in pass 17 over the fire box, are preferably mounted in a manner to be withdrawn, or partially withdrawn, from the interior of the boiler. The mounting of the elements 21 to 23, inclusive, conveniently comprises a head 40 having guides 11 thereon, and also preferably comprises a tubular sleeve 12 projecting within the interior of the boiler, and with which the inner end of the cleaner tube telescopes. The outer end of the cleaner elements 21 to 23 preferably have guide arms 14 which slide upon the guides 11. A catch device 4C6may be provided for engaging a part of the cleaner element to hold it in withdrawn position. The head 40 preferably has therein a chamber 48 around the cleaner element (21) which receives cleaning fluid (as steam) through an opening 19, and communicates said fluid to the cleaner element when. the latter is in its operative position, through orifices 50, (only one of which is shown). A stuffing box 33 pro vides a leak-tight turning connection between the cleaner element 21 and the head containing the cleaning fluid chamber 48. A gland or packing 51 is preferably provided between the cleaner element and head, at the lower part of the chamber 48.

hen the cleaner tube is arranged to be withdrawn, or partially withdrawn, from the interior of the boiler setting, the sprocket wheels 37, 39, instead of being fixed to the cleaner element, are mounted upon a bracket 53 through which the tubular cleaning ele- 'ment passes; A clutch part 55 is attached to the cleaner element (21) and clutches with the upper sprocket wheel 39 when the said cleaner element is in its lowered or working position.

Means are preferably provided for raising and lowering the telescopic cleaner elements. Thesemeans conveniently comprise a chain passing over sprockets 62, 63, and attached to one of the guide arms 44. by means of a set-screw 65. Motion may be transmitted to the sprocket 63 by a sprocket 67 fixed upon a shaft with the sprocket 63, and a second sprocket 68, solid with the sprocket 67, may. be provided for transmitting the motion imparted to the sprocket 67, to another sprocket upon another cleaner element, whereby a single operating means provides for raising and lowering a plurality of telescopic cleaner elements.

In order to provide a space for the tubular cleaning element in the midst of a bank of boiler tubes, where the tubes are close together, and those in one row staggered with relation to those above and below it, one boiler tube in every other horizontal row of tubes is omitted, as shown. in Figs. 2 and 3, said space being indicated by the numeral 29.

The cleaner tubes, which are arranged at the sides of the bank of boiler tubes, are or may be arranged behind the plane of the inner face of the side walls 9, 10, of the boiler setting. To this end, the walls 9, 10, from a line behind the cleaner element, are recessed or cut out beyond the general plane of the inner face of the said walls, and are preferably tapered on one or both sides of the cleaner element toward the inner surface of the wall, as indicated at 11, 11. See Figs. 5 and 6. The tapered portion or pertions of the side wall permit the nozzles or orifices upon the cleaner elements to project streams of cleaning fluid from nearly parallel with the side of said bank of tubes, and hence enable the jets to reach more nearly into corners of the boiler setting than would be the case if the cleaner elements were set behind the inner face of the boiler wall in an untapered recess.

In order to prevent an excessive or undesirable flow of gases through the interval or space 11, 11, or 29, suitable baffles 100 or other means for restricting the flow of gases, or draft, through said space, are provided. These baflles are preferably composed of a plurality of blocks or tiles 101 having ledges .102 adapted to rest against the top of a pair of adjacent tubes, or upon a tube and a side wall. A hole 103 is provided in the baflle or tile for the passage of the cleaner elements. Any number of baffles, as may be desired, may be provided.

Operation. Assuming the telescopic cleaner element or elements 21, 22, 23, to be withdrawn or partially withdrawn, these are lowered by rotating the sprockets 67, as-by means of the chain 70, which conveniently hangs down alongside the boiler setting, and passes over idler rollers 71, 72, as shown in Fig. 2. If there are several telescopic elements, the one operating means 7 0 may serve to raise and lower the several telescopic cleaner elements, as by means of the sprockets 68 and connecting chains 73 (Fig. 2). When the telescopic cleaner element or elements are lowered into operative position, the clutch part 55 clutches with the sprocket 39, and cleaning fluid, preferably steam, is admitted to the cleaner elements singly or in groups, as by means of the Valve-controlled supply pipes 35 connected with a header (Fig. 2). In the case of the telescopic cleaner elements, the steam enters through the inlet opening 49, steam chamber 48, and orifices 50, into the cleaner tube. The valve-controlled supply pipes 35 communicate with the open ends of the permanently located cleaner elements 24 et seq., through the stufling boxes These latter valvecontrolled supply pipes 35 may be connected singly or in groups to the header 80 (Fig. 3). The cleaner elements'are rotated, preferably in groups, by means of a chain 90 hanging down alongside the boiler setting, and passing over idler rollers 91, and over a sprocket 37 or 37, the motion communicated to said sprocket-37, 37', being transmitted to another cleaner element by way of the sprockets 39 or 39', and connecting chains 38. See Fig. 3.

The orifices or nozzles on the cleaner elements are located so as to direct jets of cleaning fluid into the horizontal interval between rows of tubes. When the tubular cleaning elements are rotated, such motion serves to sweep the jets of cleaning fluid through an effective arc of 360 in the case of the elements located in the midst of the bank of tubes, and through an effective are of substantially 180 in the case of the elements located at the sides of the bank of tubes.

Moreover, the direction of the jets is in all cases at right angles to the draft or flow of furnace gases in the passes, and hence the jets at no time act in direct opposition to the draft of the furnace. By reason of the efl'ectiveness of the cleaner tube located in the midst of the bank of tubes, and by reason of blowing through. horizontal intervals, it will generally be found that the cleaning of any given boiler may be effected with a lesser number of elements than with cleaner elements which extend across the boiler setting. Moreover, the construction of the cleaner parts is much simplified, and a more efiicient cleaning may be effected than with the cleaner tubes extending across the boiler setting.

The inventive ideas herein set forth may receive other embodiments than those herein specifically illustrated and described.

WVhat is claimed is 1. A water tube boiler having tubes arranged in rows, the tubes in each row being opposite the spaces in the next rows, and a tubular cleaning element projected among said tubes transversely thereto, alternate tubes being omitted to accommodate said element, and bafiles arranged to obstruct the wider space formed by the omission of such tubes, to avoid an excessive flow of fire gases through such space.

2. A water tube boiler having tubes arranged in rows, and a tubular cleaning element projected among said tubes transversely thereto, certain tubes being omitted to accommodate said element, and bafiies arranged to obstruct an excessive flow of fire gases through the wider space formed by the omission of such tubes.

8. In combination, a set of tubes, a cleaner tube, running crosswise of said tubes, the space occupied by said cleaner tube afiording a short route through which an excessive flow of fire gases tends to pass, and a battle transverse to said cleaner tube for obstructing the direct flow of gases through such space.

4:. In combination, a. set of tubes, a cleaner tube inserted therein crosswise of the tubes, said set of tubes having an interval therein for said cleaner tube, wider than the intervals elsewhere, and a baflie for obstructing the flow of gases through said wider interval.

5. In combination, a set of tubes, a clean.- er tube, inserted therein crosswise of the tubes, said set of tubes having an interval therein for said cleaner tube, wider than the normal intervals, and baffles at different heights longitudinally. of said interval for obstructing the flow of gases through said interval.

6. In combination, a set of tubes, a cleaner tube inserted therein crosswise of the tubes, said set of tubes having an interval therein for said cleaner tube, wider than the normal intervals, and a bafiie for ob structing the flow of gases through said wider interval, and an opening through said baffle for said cleaner tube.

In witness whereof we have hereunto signed our names.

FREDERICK W. LINAKER. THEODORE M. BRUBACK. 

